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64 Security Dealer & Integrator / www.SecurityInfoWatch.com October 2018
length, meaning that water
droplets in fog, rain, snow or
even sand allow them to sim-
ply pass through."
In cases where water
droplets may be an issue, Sur-
faro says LiDAR should be
used with secondary sensors
such as cameras and ultra-
sonic sensors.
Integrated vs.
Standalone
To create an effective perim-
eter intrusion detection
solution, radar is usually
integrated with a video sur-
veillance system. "A key
benefit of radar is that it
seamlessly integrates with
other security and sensory tech-
nologies to create a total perimeter
solution that reduces response time,"
Zussman says. "By integrating radar
with a video surveillance system, the
radar can automatically cue pan-tilt-
zoom cameras to the location of an
intruder, giving security officers a
visual verification of the threat and
allowing security personnel to keep
eyes on the suspect as the individual
moves. e VMS can then overlay the
tracks of the trespasser onto a map of
the property, providing even greater
situational awareness. Linking it all
together, security personnel can watch
and track threats in real-time with the
ability to intervene immediately."
Surfaro agrees and adds that using
radar to guide PTZ camera systems
can significantly lower security costs
by decreasing the number of cam-
eras needed to monitor a site. "is
method also covers a large area and in
many cases eliminates video analytic
soware licensing costs," he says.
A system of LiDAR sensors, on the
other hand, does not need surveil-
lance cameras to recognize objects,
the direction they are facing and
their trajectory. "Because radar ren-
ders a point or less recognizable
'blob' and the direction it is mov-
ing, the video surveillance camera(s)
are required to confirm the type of
object," Surfaro says.
Accuracy and Definition
According to Surfaro, radar is less
angularly accurate than LiDAR, as it
loses the sight of a target on curved
pathways with a potential of confu-
sion if multiple objects are placed
very close to each other. "For exam-
ple, radar may consider two small
cars in a vicinity as a single, large
vehicle and indicate an incorrect dis-
tance," he says.
"Most LiDAR imagery has mean-
ingful color gradients indicating the
object's elevation, and superlative
detail in three dimensions, which is
useful in recognition," Surfaro adds.
"In contrast, typical radar imagery is
monochromatic, rendering objects as
'blobs' of similar shades."
In the security industry, integrators
and customers are oen tasked with
mitigating or detecting the threat of
people breaching a perimeter to do
harm. LiDAR not only detects people
walking around an open area or inter-
section but it can also tell which direc-
tion they are facing. "LiDAR's data
rendering is highly detailed and accu-
rate, enabling a security operator to
accurately predict where a person will
walk or a vehicle is driving, or how far
into a perimeter a drone hovers," Sur-
faro says. "is high level of (detail)
enables the user to even see details like
a person stealing high-value refined
copper stock or holding a large auto-
matic weapon."
On a clear night, it is possible to see
these details even two football fields
away from a stationary or moving
LiDAR device with very high accu-
racy, Surfaro adds.
Using this degree of accuracy,
LiDAR has been used in recent smart
city test initiatives in Las Vegas to help
keep pedestrians, drivers and road
workers safe. A pedestrian enter-
ing a crosswalk as traffic signals are
changing, or a vehicle is stuck in an
intersection results in traffic being
automatically stopped in all direc-
tions. "Waymo's LiDAR system not
only detects pedestrians but it can also
tell which direction they are facing,"
Surfaro says. "us, LiDAR enables
perimeter protection systems to
accurately predict where a thief may
breach a protected space or where a
pedestrian will walk."
VisonLidar software from Geo-Plus includes an object recognition tool to automatically
detect and recognize the geometry of an object.
Perimeter Security
Image:
Geo-Plus